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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy01:22

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...
Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size reduction of the tissue.
Necrosis01:16

Necrosis

Necrosis is considered as an “accidental” or unexpected form of cell death that ends in cell lysis. The first noticeable mention of “necrosis” was in 1859 when Rudolf Virchow used this term to describe advanced tissue breakdown in his compilation titled “Cell Pathology”.
Morphological Manifestations of Necrosis
Necrotic cells show different types of morphological appearance depending on the type of tissue and infection. In coagulative necrosis, cells become anucleated and die, but their...
Cellular Injury IlI: Cellular Death01:11

Cellular Injury IlI: Cellular Death

Cell death is the irreversible loss of cellular structure and function, representing the final stage of severe injury. It plays a key role in both normal physiology and disease.Types of Cell DeathThe two main types are necrosis and apoptosis, though others like necroptosis and pyroptosis also exist.Necrosis:Necrosis is an unregulated form of cell death caused by severe injury such as trauma, toxins, or ischemia. It is characterized by cell swelling, membrane loss, rupture, and leakage of...
Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside cells.

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Roadmap for the next decade of plant programmed cell death research.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

A β-glucuronidase (GUS) Based Cell Death Assay
07:35

A β-glucuronidase (GUS) Based Cell Death Assay

Published on: May 6, 2011

Programmed cell death in C. elegans, mammals and plants.

Christina E N Lord1, Arunika H L A N Gunawardena

  • 1Dalhousie University, Department of Biology, 1355 Oxford Street Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2 Canada. celord@dal.ca

European Journal of Cell Biology
|April 20, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Programmed cell death (PCD) in plants shares cellular and molecular similarities with animals. Conserved pathways, particularly involving mitochondria, suggest functional substitution of apoptotic genes across eukaryotes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Programmed cell death (PCD) is crucial for eukaryotic growth and development.
  • Model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian systems have elucidated animal PCD pathways.
  • Plant PCD exhibits cellular hallmarks similar to animals, indicating conserved processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize and compare cellular and molecular similarities in programmed cell death (PCD) between mammals, C. elegans, and plants.
  • To emphasize the conserved role of mitochondria in the cell death pathway across these organisms.
  • To profile plant apoptotic factors and identify conserved mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of cellular and molecular events during PCD in plants, mammals, and C. elegans.
  • Review of conserved molecular features, including caspase-like proteases, Bcl-2-like proteins, and mitochondrial proteins.
  • Examination of transgenic expression studies involving mammalian and C. elegans apoptotic genes in plants.

Main Results:

  • Plant PCD shares cellular events (nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation) and molecular features (caspase-like proteases, Bcl-2-like proteins, mitochondrial involvement) with animals.
  • Mammalian and C. elegans pro- and anti-apoptotic genes can functionally substitute for plant counterparts, despite low sequence similarity.
  • Mitochondria play a conserved role in the cell death pathway across diverse eukaryotic systems.

Conclusions:

  • Programmed cell death (PCD) pathways exhibit significant conservation across eukaryotes, particularly regarding mitochondrial function.
  • Functional conservation of apoptotic genes suggests that the mechanism of action is more critical than sequence homology.
  • Understanding plant PCD can be advanced by comparing it to well-studied animal models, revealing conserved regulatory mechanisms.